Welcome

Exposure to different cultures ranks as one of the most powerful ways to promote international understanding and peace. The Rotary Youth Exchange program provides thousands of young students with the opportunity to meet people from other countries and to experience new cultures, planting the seeds for a lifetime of international understanding.

The Rotary Youth Exchange program is truly an exchange with students going abroad in outbound exchanges and students being hosted as inbound students.

Outbound Exchanges

Rotary Youth Exchange offers three types of exchange programs:

Long-term exchange. These exchanges usually last one year, during which the student lives with more than one family in the host country and is required to attend school there. Long-term exchanges may be extended to include part or all of the holiday/vacation periods immediately before and after the academic year.

Short-term exchange. These exchanges vary from several days to several weeks; they often take place when school is not in session and usually do not include an academic program. Short-term exchanges generally involve a homestay experience with a family in the host country, but they can also be organized as international youth camps or tours that bring together students from many countries. Additionally, the host family may expect precipitation and send their student to be hosted by you.

Inbound Exchanges

Students from abroad come to Michigan and Ontario for the same reasons our students engage in an Outbound Exchange. As our students are hosted by families abroad, inbound students arriving here required a host rotary club, a host family, and a student counselor. Inbound students must quality for a visa (cultural & educational) and are engaged for one year as in a long-term exchange.

For more information on either of the exchanges, please contact the Rotary District 6380’s Youth Exchange Chair: